


Dressed to Kill

by Haleyb333



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-01 02:21:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6497005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haleyb333/pseuds/Haleyb333
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A slight retelling of how Magnus, Alec, and Jonathan Morgenstern's stories began together. When Magnus and Alec's first date goes a little different than Alec had anticipated, can he change the course of the future, or is he already in too deep?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Alec was fairly certain that he had never been so in love in his entire life. He was just walking through the door of the Institute after his first date with Magnus, and he knew he had never smiled as wide as he was smiling just then. He was hoping that he could get through the halls of the Institute to his bedroom without seeing anyone, but, of course, that was a hope that was sure to be dashed.

He snuck as quietly as he could, but just as he was going past Isabelle's bedroom her door flung open. A hand immediately reached out into the hallway and took Alec by the arm, pulling him into the room and shutting the door in one swift motion.

"Sit down now and tell me everything!" Isabelle was far too worked up over this already, but Alec could tell that was also possibly due to the fact that he was still smiling. "How did it go?"

He had no idea where to start, he had yet to form a full opinion on the matter. Or rather, he had yet to fully collect his thoughts and wrap his head around what had just happened. Instead of voicing this to Isabelle, he simply smiled and said, "It went perfectly, Izzy. I don't think I could have asked for better."

"You have to give me all the details right this second." She paused, staring at him for just a second before giving a short laugh and continuing. "I know all this 'girl talk' isn't really your thing, but you're not getting out of it, so get over it."

Sighing, Alec leaned back and attempted to get settled in, knowing that trying to wiggle his way out of it would be in vain.  
.  
.  
.  
Magnus was fairly certain that he had never been so in love in his entire life. In love with himself that was. His fake date with Alexander Lightwood could not have gone more perfectly. It was easy to tell that by the end of the night, he had Alec right where he wanted them. Right where they wanted him.

He opened the door to his apartment, not even attempting to be quiet even though it was terribly late, knowing that Jonathan would still be up. He walked in to see Jonathan sitting on the couch as though he had been patiently waiting for a while. He had been waiting for a while, Magnus knew, but he had definitely not been patient about it. Jonathan was currently reading a book, something about demonology, of course, but he looked up as soon as Magnus walked in.

Instead of speaking, Jonathan raised an eyebrow, asking how the date had gone, and Magnus's heart skipped a beat. He took a seat beside Jonathan, but he didn't speak. He was too busy reliving how he and Jonathan had met.

It had been just another day in Paris for Magnus, and he had walked into the bar hoping to just get drunk and forget about everything for a while. When he walked in, however, he had immediately been taken aback by the wild eyed boy sitting at the bar. He had thought about going up and making conversation, but something about the boy's posture had told Magnus that he was on a mission. And not a good one.

Sitting at his own table, Magnus had watched the boy, who he now knew was Jonathan, interact with another boy about his age, who he now knew had been Sebastian Verlac. He had followed and watched as Jonathan had murdered Sebastian where he stood. What Jonathan hadn't been expecting was for Magnus to come up behind him saying, "Well, well, someone has been quite naughty today, hasn't he?"

As Jonathan whirled on him and chucked a seraph blade straight at his heart, he threw up a deflection spell, perfectly anticipating what Jonathan would do. As surprised as he was at Magnus's deflection, Jonathan didn't skip a beat either. "Who are you and what do you want?" he said, staring straight into Magnus's eyes with a look that would have scared off weaker men.

Magnus, however, was not weak, so he stared back even harder, saying, "Who I am is not the important thing here, what is important is why you have murdered another Nephilim."

Surprisingly, Jonathan answered, "I am not one of the Nephilim." He spat the last word with such hatred that Magnus was taken aback.

Tilting his head to one side and raising an eyebrow, Magnus kept his voice neutral as he said, "Well then what exactly do you propose you are?"

This conversation had finally led to Jonathan spelling out exactly who and what he was, a Morgenstern with demonic blood. This should have been unsettling to Magnus, a Shadowhunter with demon blood. Yet somehow, he found it refreshing. After centuries of being looked down on by Shadowhunters, it was wonderful to have found someone who looked up to him because of what he was, because of the fact that the demon blood was something they shared.

One thing had led to another, and Magnus had found himself slowly falling for Jonathan, something that felt surprisingly natural. He had never been terribly concerned with being "good", so when Jonathan had proposed that Magnus help him and his father with their plans, Magnus had thought only momentarily before accepting.

Now here they were, living together in New York and plotting to take down the Institute from the inside out. Turning to face Jonathan, Magnus finally began speaking. "It couldn't have gone better. He's so naïve it's almost unbelievable. He suspects absolutely nothing, and I'm almost certain he's falling in love."

Jonathan smiled, it was a cold smile, and although it sent chills down Magnus's spine, it didn't unsettle him in any way. "That poor boy has no idea what love is," was all that he said.

Flashing a smile of his own, Magnus responded, "I take it you think you do know what love is then?" His heartbeat picked up pace as Jonathan reached over to brush the hair out of Magnus's eyes.

"Of course I do, Magnus. Love is exactly what I feel when I'm with you." After that, Magnus's lips quickly found Jonathan's.  
.  
.  
.  
"You're being absurd!" Alec knew his voice was a bit louder than it most likely needed to be, but he was so annoyed with Jace that he was too tired to care.

"That's no different from normal, Alec!" Jace was purposefully keeping his voice below a yell. "You're just upset because you know I'm right about this." Alec stared at him, trying to understand where this was coming from.

It had been a few months since he had come out to Jace, so he had thought that telling Jace about Magnus would have been fine. He was wrong. Jace had remained silent after Alec had finished explaining the situation, and it didn't take long for Alec to ask what was going on. Jace had promptly admitted that he didn't think Alec should be with Magnus.

The resulting conversation had quickly turned into an argument over whether or not Magnus was trustworthy. Jace was very adamant that Alec should stay away from Magnus at all costs, but Alec was fairly certain that Jace was simply reacting to an underlying prejudice against Downworlders.

Finally, Jace sat down and dropped his head into his hands. "Look, Alec," his voice was much softer this time around. "I'm just worried about you getting hurt. I'm just trying to look out for you, and all I'm saying is that Magnus Bane has never given me any reason to trust him with your heart."

Alec was momentarily taken aback, but he recovered quickly enough that Jace barely noticed. "He hasn't given you any reason to not trust him with my heart either."

Jace stood to leave the room, and Alec thought he wasn't going to say anything else. Right before Jace reached the exit, however, he paused to say one last thing. "Just be careful, Alexander."


	2. Chapter 2

Get yourself together, Magnus. He had no qualms about talking to himself, but Magnus did know he was going insane regardless of that. Alec had stopped by his apartment that day, and since Jonathan was off doing unspeakable things with his father, Magnus had figured it would be okay to let Alec come in. He had promptly text Jonathan, warning him to not come home until he told him, and then he'd fallen into the same façade he had on their date.

Except now, Alec was laughing, and Magnus found himself smiling. Genuinely smiling. When Alec had placed a hand on his arm, he found his heart skipping a beat. This was terribly unacceptable. There was no way that he should be feeling like this toward anyone other than Jonathan.

He knew he had to get himself under control. This wasn't part of the plan by any means. The plan had been very clearly laid out to him from the start. By both Jonathan and Valentine as well. He was to work his way into the hearts of the Lightwoods, thereby being able to take them down more easily than attempting to attack the Institute.

They were going to get to Jace specifically, by taking down Alec first. Just as they all got comfortable with the idea of Magnus being with Alec, Magnus would kidnap him and hand him over to Valentine. When Jace realized what was happening, he would either join with Valentine to save Alec, or he would be destroyed when he watched his parabatai die.

The plan was utterly flawless, or it should have been. But suddenly Magnus inexplicably found himself wanting to protect Alec. He had never been particularly touched by innocence, he had often found it annoying, but as he saw the youth and gentleness reflected back in Alec's eyes, he wanted nothing more than ensure that they stayed young and gentle forever.

"Magnus?" It was Alec's voice that finally took him out of his thoughts. "I have a question." Magnus simply raised an eyebrow and nodded. He was slightly taken aback when Alec said, "Can I trust you?"

He forced himself to keep his face straight, to regain his composure internally before responding. He decided to be indirect with answering it, instead of trying to finagle his way out of it. "Why would you ask me that, Alexander?"

Alec's voice was just as honest and clear as his eyes were when he stared back at Magnus. It was often disturbing that Alec was so blunt. But Magnus found it unsettling in almost a comforting way. People were so rarely straightforward at all, and it was refreshing to finally be able to stop searching for a hidden meaning behind every word.

Alec smiled slightly and responded, "To be honest with you, Jace has a bad feeling about you." Magnus tried to laugh in a way that would cover up the fact that Jace was a lot smarter than he looked.

"Since when do we listen to Jace?" Was all that he was able to reply without giving away the deceptive tone in his voice. At that, Alec chuckled himself, but he looked skeptical even as he did so.

"Sometimes Jace says something worthwhile. Not often, but there's always that possibility." Alec was smiling even as he said it, and Magnus knew he was out of trouble as far as this conversation was concerned.

Before he was aware of what he was doing, he suddenly found his lips on Alec's, which was terribly unfortunate because Magnus had never intended for that to happen at all. Instead of stopping or pulling away, Magnus simply leaned further in, and Alec didn't fight back.

Magnus figured that he might as well be a rebel in every part of his life if he was going to take that route anyways.  
.  
.  
.  
Valentine had never made Magnus terribly comfortable. What with the whole swearing to eliminate all Downworlders and so on, that had kind of put a damper on their relationship from the very start. But the biggest downside to being with Jonathan was that he had to spend a lot of time with Valentine as well. Magnus had essentially figured out that Valentine only tolerated Downworlders when they were useful to him, as Magnus himself now was.

They were currently holding a "meeting" which always loosely translated to Valentine telling them what they were doing wrong and then giving them orders on how to correct their failures. Jonathan always seemed to take his father's criticism better than he ever took anything else, and Magnus figured this was because Valentine had quickly taught Jonathan to respect his father's authority.

After asking for an update on the situation with Alec, Valentine began spelling out exactly what they were going to do next, and Magnus inexplicably found himself becoming uncomfortable at the very idea of it.

"You do understand that for the plan to work the best, you're going to have to be the one to kill Alec, right Magnus?" What Valentine was saying made sense enough to him. Getting to Jace would be the easiest of Magnus stepped in and actually killed Alec for Valentine. Forcing Jace to watch someone Alec loved do harm to him was the worst thing Valentine knew to do to Jace. "He was always too soft, he always loved with too much passion. He'll be easy to bring down."

All Magnus could do was nod. He was suddenly feeling sick, and he had no idea why. It wasn't as though he objected to the plan on any particular moral standpoint. But every time he blinked, all he could see were Alec's clear blue eyes staring back at him.

"Magnus?" It was Jonathan's voice that brought him out of his thoughts about Alec. Which was a terribly awkward thing because it also made Magnus realize that he was supposed to be in love with Jonathan. "Magnus, you aren't thinking of backing out on us, are you?"

When Magnus responded, he hoped his voice seemed utterly sincere. "Me? Why would I do that, Jonathan? I thought we agreed I'm pure evil."

As they walked back to the apartment that night, Magnus remained quiet, trying to figure out exactly what he was going to do about the situation.


	3. Chapter 3

"What are you thinking about?" It was a rainy day, and Magnus was currently curled up on the couch with Alec's head in his lap. He'd been absentmindedly playing with Alec's hair, thinking about essentially everything under the sun. Alec was currently looking up at him, his curiosity clearly written on his face.

"Why do you ask, Alexander?" Magnus knew his voice was just barely even, but he had just so recently come out of his own thoughts that he didn't have the time to properly cover it up. Or maybe it was that he just didn't really care as far as Alec was concerned. He seemed to be able to relax much more, become himself easier, and he was slowly falling deeply in love with that fact.

Or maybe it was Alec he was slowly falling in love with. He couldn't quite tell any more.

He smiled when Alec chuckled. "You've been staring off into space for hours now, and your expression has changed so many times that I'm having trouble keeping track of which emotions you're going through."

Magnus looked back down at the open, innocent boy in his lap, this time, the curiosity was on his face. "You've been watching me?" His voice was much more open, much more raw than he thought it had ever been.

Alec sat up and scooted backward until his back was against Magnus's legs, then he leaned sideways into Magnus's arms. Without thinking, Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec. "You were too preoccupied to notice that I wasn't actually asleep, Magnus." Unexpectedly, Magnus's heart skipped a beat at the way Alec said his name. It wasn't like the way Jonathan had ever said it. It was full of joy and awe, and it gave Magnus the oddest of feelings.

"Well, Alexander, do you want me to answer your question honestly or answer with what you most likely want to hear?" Alec stared back at him, a slightly anxious expression slowly creeping over his face.

After a few seconds of silence, Alec surprised Magnus even more by reaching up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You tell me whatever you want, but if there's something going on, and I think there is, then you should know that I'm always here to help."

Magnus was momentarily speechless. There was such innocence and gentleness within Alec that Magnus was sometimes unsure that he was a Shadowhunter. Magnus had met many Shadowhunters throughout his life, far too many it seemed, but he had never met one who could be the fierce killer they were trained to be one second and overly loving and kind the next.

Leaning down further into Alec, Magnus couldn't help but place his lips gently on Alec's. He marveled in the way Alec always seemed to softly gasp when Magnus's lips found his. The kiss was long and soft, and Magnus couldn't help but think about how perfectly Alec fit into his arms, how perfect it felt to have Alec's lips against his own.

When they broke apart, Magnus brushed the hair out of Alec's eyes. "Honestly, Alexander, I was thinking about you." At that, Alec's entire face lit up with a smile.

"Good things, I hope," was his response, his voice full of amusement.

Magnus bent down once more, kissing Alec's forehead. "What else would I be thinking, Alexander?"  
.  
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"Magnus, what are you doing?" Alec's voice was eerie, full of a fear Magnus had never heard. He wrapped his arms around Alec from behind and leaned in to whisper in Alec's ear.

"Don't worry, Alexander, it will all be over soon, I promise." He snapped his fingers and then proceeded to catch Alec before he hit the ground.  
.  
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Jace looked down at his phone, utterly confused as to who would be calling him at this time of night. His heart rate immediately picked up at that thought, if someone was calling him in the middle of the night, then there was something terribly wrong. He thought of Clary, and as he looked down to see an unknown number pop up on his phone, he became even more terrified.

Finally, he picked it up to answer it, his voice shaking slightly. "Hello?"

His heart skipped a beat when he heard the voice on the other end of the line. "Jonathan, son. I think we need to have a talk."

Jace tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but he couldn't seem to find the ability to do so. "What do you want, Valentine?" He felt sick when he heard Valentine chuckle, it was a cold, hard laugh, and Jace could tell that it was borderline evil.

"Valentine? You wound me, son." Jace could tell by the tone of his voice that Valentine was smiling. He was unsure he had ever been so scared of what his father might be up to. "Anyways, I just sort of thought that you might appreciate knowing that I have someone who means a lot to you," he paused, supposedly for dramatic emphasis. "And I'm going to hurt them if you don't get here soon."

At first, Jace began to panic, but then he remembered the best way to try to deal with his father. "You're bluffing," he said, hoping that his voice sounded as confident as possible, despite what he was feeling. "You don't have anyone; you just want me to come to you."

"Do you really want to risk that? Tell me you honestly think I'm bluffing, son, and we'll see what happens after that."

Taking a deep breath, Jace began speaking again. "I honestly think you're bluffing." The last words were barely out of his mouth when Jace heard an awful scream full of pain come from the phone. At first, he thought it was no one he knew, just another one of Valentine's ploys to lure him in, but he began to feel the pain in his parabatai rune, and he was running out of his room before he even had time to ask his father where he was.  
.  
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As Jace ran to find his father, the worst of feelings began forming in his chest. The further he ran, the worse the pain in his parabatai rune became. He couldn't believe he had said that to his father, he couldn't believe that it was Alec who was being hurt. And because of him no less.

The worst part of having to get to Alec was the fact that all he could do was think. Think about what would happen if he got there too late. Think about how badly they were having to hurt Alec if he was feeling it through their runes. Think about how he had only thought of Clary from the moment his phone had begun to ring, how Alec had never once crossed his mind until he had begun screaming in pain. Pain that Jace had put him in.

He rushed up the steps of the warehouse his father was using without pausing for a breath. When he reached the top landing, he saw Jonathan standing over Alec, and all he could think about was hurting Jonathan as badly as he had been hurting Alec.

Before he could take another step forward, however, his father was in front of him, a sword in hand. "Make the wrong move, Jace, and he'll die very swiftly." As Jace stood there trying to figure out what to do or what to say, Alec finally stopped screaming, and Jace realized that Jonathan had finally stepped away from him and toward Valentine.

All Jace could think to say was, "How did you get Alec here in the first place? He should have been safe where he was."

Valentine smiled, a terribly malicious smile that sent chills down Jace's spine. "You see, Jace, we had a bit of help with that."

When Valentine stopped talking, Jace felt his stomach drop and he immediately felt as though he was going to be sick. He watched in silence as Magnus waltzed in the room, going directly to Jonathan's side and wrapping an arm around him.


	4. Chapter 4

Alec was in too much pain to speak, or move, or do hardly anything at all. At this point, he was in so much paint that he wasn't really registering the physical pain anymore. The true pain was the pain he was feeling in his heart. He knew Jace was there, but he couldn't seem to concentrate on anything that was going on around him. All he could think of was Magnus and how betrayed he felt, how broken hearted he was, how right Jace had been.

When he had woken up, Magnus was standing in front of him, but he was with Jonathan, and Alec had quickly realized he was tied up. When he looked to Magnus for answers, Jonathan simply began laughing. "You stupid Nephilim," he had said, his voice full of malice. "He doesn't love you. He could never love someone like you. He was simply helping his one true love."

At that, Alec couldn't contain himself, he chuckled, a dark, cold sound. "You mean you?" He could hear the hatred in his voice but he didn't care. Alec became slightly confused when he looked back at Magnus. He couldn't seem to read the expression on Magnus's face, he couldn't seem to figure out how Magnus was feeling. His face was set, as though he was regretting what he had done, but that he was going to march ahead with his plans no matter the consequences.

When Alec spoke again, he directed it directly at Magnus. "I've never been so disappointed in anyone. I've never thought of Downworlders as monsters, but I'm currently rethinking that opinion." He was satisfied when Magnus flinched at his words, but things quickly went black as Jonathan knocked him out again.

Right that second, he was listening to Jace, trying to focus on how to get out of the situation, trying to keep him mind off the fact that every cell in his body was screaming out in pain.

"You, you-" Jace was having trouble deciding what to say once he had seen Magnus. "He trusted you, he loved you. How could you do this?"

Magnus chuckled, and Alec began to feel sick, his heart dropping even further. "It was terribly easy actually, tricking all of you, I mean. You're all so naive, Alec more than anyone else."

Alec didn't think it was possible, but his heart dropped even further when Jace spoke again. "I hope you realize that I am going to kill you for this." Magnus had chuckled at that, but Alec began to try to move despite every bone in his body screaming in protestation.

"Jace, no. Please." Alec knew his voice wasn't very strong, but it was obvious he had been heard because everyone turned to look down at him once more. This time, Magnus seemed speechless.

"Look at that," Jace said, voice colder than Alec had heard it in years. "You never deserved him, Magnus. You're plotting to kill him, and yet he still loves you. He still wants to protect you. Don't think for a second that you're safe with Jonathan here or that he loves you. He'll stab you in the back and go out for tea afterwards if it suits him. But Alec, he's far too good for you."

"Enough of this." Alec flinched as Valentine's voice rang out across the room. "It's tedious and highly unnecessary. You have a decision to make, Jace, and I would rather like to go ahead and get it over with."

Alec tried to move as he heard Valentine approaching him, but it took everything he had to keep from screaming in pain, and he knew that his efforts were in vain. Valentine's face appeared above him, and he immediately relaxed, feeling hopeless already, almost knowing that there would be no way out.

"Magnus, please come help me with this," was all that he said, and suddenly his face was replaced by Magnus's. Alec's heart skipped a beat as Magnus entered his field of vision, but this time, it was not out of love. This time, it was out of fear.

Bending down, Magnus lifted Alec up off the floor, and this time, Alec made no effort to keep himself from gasping in pain. He saw Jace's eyes darken with hatred as he did so, and he couldn't help but shut his own eyes, wishing for the pain to end soon.

"You have a simple decision to make, Jace." Valentine was speaking again, but Alec barely registered it, he was too busy trying to focus on anything other than the feeling of Magnus's body against his. Anything but the feeling of his heart slowly shattering.

"Either you join with me and I'll let Alec go clear and free, or you continue to refuse me and you watch your parabatai die at the hands of the person he loves most in this world." Valentine shrugged in a very relaxed way, and Alec was sure he was going to be sick. "The choice is yours, Jace. Choose swiftly and wisely."

All Alec could see was Jace's eyes locked on him. He could see Jace turning both options over and over in his mind. It was easy to see that the longer he thought, the more pain he began to feel. Alec shook his head ever so slightly, just enough for Jace to register it, and Jace's eyes immediately widened. He opened his mouth, then immediately shut it again, as though he was trying to process the situation.

Before Jace had the chance to respond, Magnus surprised everyone in the room by speaking up. "Before you decide, Jace, I have something I wish to say." Alec's heart picked up pace at that, and he had the sudden feeling that this was going to be the end. Until Magnus spoke again.

"You're right," was all he said at first, and Alec's heart stopped as he said this. After a moment's pause, Magnus began again. "You're terribly, painfully right. Alexander is far too good for me. Hell, I think Alexander is far too good for this world."

Alec happened to glance over at Valentine in time to see a look of confusion on his face as well. This look would have greatly satisfied Alec if he had not been utterly confused himself. He was surprised as Magnus began to slowly lower him to the ground, pulling him gently toward the wall. Suddenly, Alec released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He also realized that Magnus was being terribly careful to not hurt him anymore, and although he had only a vague idea of what was going on, this touched him immensely.

When Magnus had leaned Alec against the wall, he stepped in front of him, holding up a warning hand. "I've decided that Jace is a little too right about the both of you." He was speaking to both Valentine and Jonathan, but he was looking pointedly at Jace. "Make one move to hurt either Alec or Jace and I will make you wish you hadn't been born."

Alec smiled slightly when he realized that Jace looked as though he was about to pass out from surprise. When Valentine laughed, Alec flinched and pain immediately flared up throughout his entire body.

"You don't scare me, Bane. You're just a warlock."

At that, it was Magnus's turn to laugh. "'Just a warlock,'" he repeated. "You obviously have no idea what that means exactly because I can do things you can hardly imagine. And trust me, you threaten either of them, and I will not be merciful. Lord knows you never have been."

Valentine raised an eyebrow, but suddenly, Alec felt as though he couldn't sit upright much longer. His vision became blurry and his was suddenly dizzy. It was then that he finally realized he had been bleeding the entire time, and he had done nothing to stop it.

"What prompted this, Magnus?" Valentine's voice was cold and calculating.

"The only thing that prompted this, was the most gentle, loving, fierce man I have ever met." Alec would have reveled in the love that filled Magnus's voice. He would have smiled at the thought that Magnus was describing him. But before he had time to register what Magnus had said, the world went dark and he hit the ground before anyone had time to realize what was going on.


	5. Chapter 5

Behind him, Magnus felt a sudden shift, and at first he had no idea why that would be happening. Then he realized that Alec had hit the floor, and he was immediately on his knees beside of Alec. It was obvious that Alec had lost far too much blood, but before he could begin to do something about it, he realized that turning his back on the situation at hand had been the worst of ideas.

The Morgensterns were a bit smarter than Magnus often gave them credit for because Jonathan grabbed one of his hands and Valentine took care of the other. One quick rune later and Magnus's hands were tied together, meaning he couldn't do magic. Or it should have meant that, if he were an average warlock.

He quickly realized, however, that if he was going to have any chance of keeping himself, Jace, and Alec alive he had to keep up the impression that he was currently magicless. He winced in pain, but forced himself to let Valentine shove him to the ground. Magnus smiled slightly as he heard Jace swear under his breath. Having Jace believe he was incapacitated would greatly increase his odds of getting out alive.

"Make one move, Jace, and I'll kill the warlock where he stands." Jace looked terribly conflicted, and Magnus could tell that he wanted to move to help Alec, but now that he knew Magnus wasn't evil, he wanted to ensure that nothing happened to him either. Then, Valentine began speaking again. "Not that I'm not likely to kill the treacherous bastard anyway."

Magnus stopped listening then, he closed his eyes, trying to focus all his energy on getting out of the situation. He hadn't done anything like what he was planning to do in a very long time, and he knew it was going to take a lot out of him. He focused on feeling where Jace and Alec both were in relation to himself, he focused on pulling all of his remaining energy into himself.

He suddenly felt a knife go to his throat, and he figured it was then or never. He thrust all of his magic outward, he found Jace and Alec, and he pulled all three of them out of warehouse and back into his apartment just as he heard Valentine ask him if he had any last words.

When he realized they were, indeed, safe, he reveled in the look of surprise that was clearly written on Jace's face. Jace opened his mouth, then shut it and immediately went to Alec's side. It was obvious that he wanted to ask about what had just happened, but he had decided to let that wait until later.

Instead of going to Alec's side himself, Magnus picked up his phone. Jace gave him an incredulous look, and he finally spoke. "I cannot heal him myself, I'm too weak right now. That little stunt took too much out of me." Pausing, he switched to the conversation on his phone for a moment. "Catarina, I need your help. It's Alec, he's been hurt by Valentine, and I-" Magnus smiled as he was cut off as Catarina hung up the phone. He assumed that meant she was on her way.

Finally, Magnus allowed himself to slowly move to Alec's side. He knew that if he moved too quickly that the lack of energy would bring him to the ground as well. What he hadn't expected, however, was for Jace to come over and take hold of his arm, helping him walk to Alec's side then gently lowering him beside of Alec.

For a moment, Magnus could hardly breathe. Alec was entirely too still, and it caused Magnus's heart to stand still itself, silently hoping beyond belief that Alec was going to be okay. He couldn't quite believe how quickly and completely he had fallen for Alec. All he knew was that if he lost Alec to Valentine and Jonathan, he would never forgive himself for what he had done. Leading Alec on only to fall in love and yet still continue as normal with Valentine and Jonathan because he was too much of a coward to tell them things were over was the most repulsive thing he could ever think that he had done.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Jace's voice again. "Magnus, I still don't understand exactly what happened."

Before responding, Magnus reached over and took hold of one of Alec's hands, gently brushing his thumb back and forth across the top of Alec's hand. "I'm not an ordinary warlock, Jace. My father is such a powerful demon that I don't need my hands to do magic, and I can do quite a bit more than most warlocks too. That's also why my warlock's mark is so stubble. I simply kept that bit of information from Valentine and-" he paused, still loathing himself for the entire situation. "and Jonathan. And for good reason too."

Jace was silent for a moment, then he spoke again, a slight look of confusion on his face. "Okay, that all makes since to me, but what doesn't-" he paused when Alec began to move.

"Mag- Magnus." It was clearly a struggle for Alec to get even the one word out, so Magnus placed a hand on his forehead, brushing his hair out of his eyes, attempting to calm him in any way. Alec's eyes fluttered open, but the pain he was feeling was still clearly reflected in them.

Bending down, Magnus quickly kissed Alec's forehead then said. "No, Alexander, don't talk. You're going to be fine, I swear. Just relax, love." Alec closed his eyes again, and Magnus was slightly afraid that he would never open them again. He was slightly more afraid that he would never see Alec's beautiful blue eyes again, but just as the thought was crossing his mind, the door slammed open and Catarina came in.

Once she was there, Catarina took over in the way only a nurse can. She immediately ordered Jace and Magnus to get Alec on the couch, then she ordered Magnus to lie down himself until she could help him regain his energy. Surprisingly, Jace came to sit beside of him, not daring to argue with Catarina over Alec.

They sat in silence for far longer than Magnus had figured they would, then Jace quietly picked up the conversation. "Magnus, what I don't understand is why you were with Jonathan to begin with. And why you changed your mind."

Magnus had known the question was coming, he just didn't want to answer it at all. For the first time in a very long time, he was ashamed of what he had done, and he was worried about what Alec would think of him. About what the rest of the Lightwoods would think of him for that matter.

"There's no simple answer to that, Jace. I was with Jonathan because I'm an idiot, and I was looking for someone who would love me regardless of who, or what, I am. I guess I thought that because Jonathan is more like me than he's like Shadowhunters," he paused, considering how vulnerable he was making himself, and then deciding that it was for the best.

"I guess I thought that he had to love me. I'll admit that being with Alec started as a scheme." Magnus held up a hand Jace began to open his mouth, anger clearly written on his face. "I'm not justifying anything, Jace, I'm simply explaining. It started out as a scheme, as a way to get to you. And then Alec surprised me. I suddenly found myself happier than I've ever been, and I realized that I was the luckiest person I could possibly be."

Magnus had been so caught up in talking to Jace that he hadn't heard Catarina and Alec enter the room. He looked up as Alec cleared his throat and began speaking. "And then what, Magnus? You can't honestly expect us to believe that you 'turned good' because of me." It hurt Magnus to see the anger on Alec's face, the pain and betrayal still written there.

He would have gotten up, but he knew he was still too weak, so he sat where he was and simply continued where he had left off, praying that Alec would listen to him.

"One night, it finally hit me all at once that here you were, proving me wrong on everything I had once believed. Here was a Shadowhunter, and the kindest, gentlest Shadowhunter I had ever met at that, loving me simply for me. You loved me regardless of the fact that everyone around us sees me as a demon. That night, I also realized that what I was doing made me sick. Deceiving the best man I had ever met, allowing him to fall in love with me, only to betray him. It made my physically ill, Alexander. You have to understand that."

Alec stood there in silence, arms crossed, looking more like Jace than himself. So Magnus simply continued. "The last thing I realized scared the hell out of me. Simply put, I realized that I am utterly in love with you, Alexander."

Unable to read the look on Alec's face, Magnus made a slow movement to get off the couch. His intention was to go to Alec, to take him in his arms, but that was far from what happened.

Even getting up from the couch caused a terrible wave of dizziness. Before he could do anything about it, he stumbled forward, quickly losing his balance. He was surprised, however, to find that he did not hit the floor. He suddenly found himself in Alec's arms, Alec slowly lowering him to the ground and asking Catarina to help. Once Magnus was leaned against the couch, Alec lowered himself to his knees, worry written across his face.

Alec stayed silent while Catarina helped Magnus, but Magnus could tell that he desperately wanted to say something. When Catarina moved away, Alec didn't give Magnus any more time to explain anything. Magnus was pleasantly surprised when he discovered Alec's lips on his. He was not pleasantly surprised, however, when the door to the apartment burst open, bringing Valentine and Jonathan with it.

He and Alec were quickly on their feet, but not before Valentine took hold of Jace and Jonathan took hold of Catarina. Smiling, Valentine simply said, "Your wards are looking a little shabby, Bane."


	6. Chapter 6

Somehow, Magnus and Alec silently agreed to not make one move. Catarina was someone Magnus loved, and Jace was someone Alec loved, and it seemed that both of them understood that without saying a word. Valentine seemed to gather this too and smiled even wider, causing Magnus to feel sick with disgust.

"You're about to make the wrong move, warlock. Not that you haven't already made a million wrong choices tonight, but you're about to lose everyone you care about, and that's a promise." Magnus's head was swimming. He had no idea what to do; he knew that if he made any move at all, more people would get hurt, and because of him again.

He suddenly felt Alec's hand clutching his arm, and he knew that Alec was asking him to save Jace. Magnus knew he was too weak to pull another stunt like he had the first time, and he had no idea how he was going to get out of the situation. He thought about stalling for time, but before he could get any words out, Valentine spoke again.

"I have a surprise for you Magnus. Someone wants to see you; someone who hasn't seen you in a very long time. But I can't take the credit for it, it was all Jonathan's idea, you know, since he loves you so very much."

Magnus felt his heart drop to his feet when he recognized the next person to walk into the apartment. Without thinking about it, he immediately shoved Alec behind him, forming a protective shield. He knew he couldn't do anything against the man at the door, the situation had just become helpless, but that wouldn't stop him from protecting Alec at all costs.

Finally, Jace asked the only important question left. "Who are you exactly?"

Magnus's heart stopped as he heard the answer he had already known all too well. "I happen to be Asmodeus." He paused, and when that didn't seem to ring any bells for either Jace or Alec, he laughed and continued. "More to the point, I am Magnus's father."

Closing his eyes, Magnus wished for everything to be over, for his father to do whatever he was going to do and to simply get it over with. "The choice is yours, Magnus," Valentine began again. "Someone in this room is going to die tonight, and it is not going to be me or my son."

He knew it was coming, it was utterly inevitable. Someone was going to be hurt by his father, and badly. And he didn't know any way of stopping it at all. Finally opening his own mouth, Magnus said the words he'd been dreading all night. "You're not hurting anyone other than me, Valentine. Let my father do whatever he wants to me, but do not touch anyone else."

Alec's hand gripped his arm even harder, and he knew if he looked at Alec his will would break and he wouldn't be able to go through with what he needed to do. As gently as possible, he pushed Alec's hand off of his arm, stepping toward Valentine and away from Alec. He finally looked toward his father, and the grin on Asmodeus's face was enough to make him sick.

"Come here son," Asmodeus sounded like he was bored, as he always did, but there was something under his tone that Magnus couldn't quite pinpoint. "It'll all be over soon."

As he walked forward, Magnus heard a soft voice behind him. "No, please," was all Alec could seem to get out before he had to stop and regroup. He almost broke, but he couldn't imagine what his father would do to them, and he couldn't let it happen to anyone but himself.

Before he could say or do anything else, Asmodeus stepped forward and turned him around, putting an arm around his neck in one swift motion. When this happened, Valentine and Jonathan let go of Jace and Catarina. He relaxed slightly, but just then, Alec started to move toward him. Magnus shook his head as best he could while in his father's grip.

"Alexander do not do anything stupid, please." Alec stopped walking, but he looked conflicted about it. The thought of leaving Alec physically hurt Magnus, but there was no way around it, so he looked away from Alec and said, "Go ahead, Father. Just get this over with. You and I both know you've wanted this for a long time."

Magnus could feel his father chuckle behind him. He was terrified of the pain Asmodeus could put him in, but he brushed aside the thought immediately when he thought of Alec being put in that pain. His heart skipped a beat when his father spoke. "Actually, Magnus, I have a bit of a surprise for everyone here." Magnus knew that didn't sound good at all, he was scared, but he didn't know what of.

"Valentine, you think my son is a traitor, don't you?" Magnus was a touch surprised that Asmodeus had begun speaking to Valentine. When Valentine simply nodded, Asmodeus continued. "Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

At that, Asmodeus let Magnus go and lazily flicked his wrist, sending Valentine and Jonathan flying backward. Magnus had to admit that he was more than a touch surprised at this, but he certainly wasn't going to argue with Asmodeus on this one. He immediately went to Alec again, who stepped in front of him this time. Magnus was sort of getting so used to being surprised that he was barely surprised when Alec did this. When Asmodeus swept his hand and Valentine and Jonathan disappeared, everyone looked startled. Asmodeus laughed again then said, "Don't worry, I didn't kill them. But they're going to have one hell of a time getting out of the Amazon."

Magnus couldn't help but smile at the thought of this, but then he startled himself when he had the thought that what his father had just done sounded an awful lot like something he would have done. Asmodeus seemed to think of this as well because when he looked at Magnus, he smiled just as widely as Magnus was smiling.

"I know what you're all thinking, but just hear me out for a moment, please." Magnus knew he was going insane, but he simply swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "Magnus, son, I know you've heard the stories of Greater Demons becoming good again, becoming more like the angels they once were. I know you grew up with those stories being just that exactly, just stories, myths. But they're not just stories, and I'm trying to make that happen for myself. I want to become good again."  
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"Magnus this is absolutely insane! You can't just trust him like this." Alec was raising his voice more than Magnus had ever heard him do so, but Magnus was becoming furious at it himself. He could see the concern in Alec's eyes, but that didn't matter to him at the moment. Nothing mattered but getting his father back.

"What would you know about it, Alexander? You don't have any idea what you're talking about. He's my father, not yours."

What Alec said next made Magnus even angrier. "That's my point, Magnus. You want to trust him because you want the father you never had. I'm sorry but you can't just blindly trust him." Magnus sat down, putting his head in his hands. It scared him how right Alec was, and he knew he should listen to Alec, but part of him wanted to throw caution to the wind.

Sighing, he responded to Alec, his voice a bit weaker than he had expected it to be. "You're right." He could see the surprise on Alec's face as what he just said sank in. "All I ever wanted was a father who actually cared, and now there's the slightest chance that I could have my father back. Don't think for a second that you wouldn't want the same, Alexander."

At this, Alec sat down beside him and gently placed his hand on Magnus's shoulder. Before Alec could speak, Magnus continued, knowing that he had to figure out what was going on before the Clave decided they knew what was going on. "The thing is, I have to figure out what's going on. He's family, and if there's the slightest chance that he could have changed, then I'm not going to give up on him. I can't ignore the fact that he saved me, he saved us. I have to help him."


	7. Chapter 7

Alec hadn't been able to sleep all night. He had been forced back to the Institute that night by Jace's request; Jace had said that they couldn't know who could end up at Magnus's apartment, but Alec knew it was really because he was still worried about Magnus himself. Alec hadn't argued, simply hugged Magnus goodbye and promised to be back in the morning. But the problem was that he couldn't stop thinking about how insane Magnus had become.

Of cures, he knew that Magnus wanted nothing more than to actually have a family and that he now had even the slightest of hope that this would come true had almost sent him over the edge. And Alec was afraid he wouldn't be able to catch him.

Finally, Alec decided that lying in bed all night was not going to do anything for him, so he got up, not really knowing where he was going to go, just knowing that he had to start walking. Before he realized what was happening, Alec found himself standing outside the library, listening to Jace play the piano.

For a moment, he considered simply walking in, but then he thought better of it and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes and letting the music wash over him. He found himself almost smiling at the peacefulness it brought over him. Then he heard a voice call out, "Alec, get in here, don't just stand at the door like that." He was definitely smiling as he opened the door.

Jace didn't stop playing as Alec walked in and sat himself on the couch, and he even continued as he began speaking to Alec. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?" He was looking at the keys as he played, but Alec knew that he didn't really need to.

"No," Alec began. "I couldn't sleep. But the real question in my mind right now is why couldn't you sleep?" Jace looked slightly startled at that, but his playing still didn't falter at all, and Alec knew it never would.

"Honestly?" he asked. And when he looked up at Alec again, Alec was a bit startled to see concern in his eyes. Alec simply nodded, and Jace continued a bit cautiously. "If I'm being completely honest, then it's because I'm still worried about you."

Resisting the urge to smile, Alec got up from the couch and sat himself beside of Jace on the piano bench. Jace hadn't stopped playing, but Alec knew him well enough to understand that it was now becoming a nervous habit, that he was playing in order to keep himself calm. Understanding this, Alec moved to gently place his hand on Jace's, getting him to stop playing.

"Jace, stop for a second and talk to me, please." He watched as Jace slowly removed his hands from the piano, but he could tell that Jace wanted nothing more than to keep playing and refuse to talk about anything at all. "Look, Jace, I know you're worried, but you really don't need to be. I understand that you were somewhat right about Magnus to begin with, but he betrayed Valentine for me, and I can't ignore that."

Jace was silent only for a moment, but then he began talking as though he had been thinking about this for a while. "I understand that, and I understand that you love him, I really do. I'm just worried that he's getting in over his head with his dad. I'm just worried that you're going to get hurt. Not because of anything Magnus will do to you, but I'm worried you're going to be hurt when he gets hurt."

Alec was unsure what to say; he hadn't really thought that himself. The more he thought about what Jace had just said, however, the more he understood that he would rather be hurt himself than to watch Magnus be hurt. Smiling this time, he turned back to Jace. "You understand this because that's how you feel about Clary, right? That you'd rather be the one hurting."

The only thing Jace could seem to do was nod, but he seemed to be smiling finally, even if it was the slightest of smiles. Instead of forcing Jace through more painful heart-felt conversation, Alec got up once more and sprawled across the couch. He closed his eyes as Jace resumed playing, letting the music wash over him once more.  
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When Alec woke up, he was startled to realize that he was still on the couch in the library. He was even more surprised to see that Jace was asleep on the floor beside of him. He tried to sit up without making any noise, but of course the couch was too old to allow that and the loud squeaking woke Jace up.

When Jace spoke, his voice was soft as it always was when he first woke up. "Sorry, I just didn't want to leave you alone." At that, Alec reached over and ruffled his hair as he had done to Max so many times.

"Thanks, bro. Honestly, I'm glad you've been here." Jace smiled, and Alec opened his mouth to say something else when the door to the library burst open, bringing in his mother who was quickly followed by Magnus.

"Get up both of you," Maryse began, her voice cold and business-like. "We're in a bit of a crisis at the moment."

For the first time since they'd entered, Alec took a clear look at Magnus and was terribly startled. Magnus was usually so carefully put together, his outfit perfect to the very finest detail. But he currently looked like he was barely keeping himself together. He had clearly simply thrown some clothes on as he was wearing jeans and a white button-up shirt. His shirt was badly wrinkled and when Alec looked closer he could see that it was buttoned wrong.

Getting up, Alec quickly brushed past his mom and walked to Magnus. He reached up and began to fix Magnus's shirt, which obviously surprised everyone in the room, but when Alec looked up he saw a faint smile on Magnus's face.

While Alec's eyes were still locked on Magnus's, Maryse cleared her throat, causing Alec to startle slightly, turning around immediately and quickly dropping his hands a bit too quickly. What he didn't do, however, what he refused to do was to step away from Magnus. Instead, he reached over once more and took Magnus's hand, keeping his eyes on his mother this time.

"We have a bit of a problem, Alexander." His mother's voice was a bit colder than usual, and the tone to it put Alec on edge. "It seems that the Clave has located Asmodeus. They were close to killing him on sight, yet somehow he seems to have convinced them to keep him alive at least for the time being. They've taken him to the Silent City, but he's now asking to speak with you."

At that, Alec turned back to Magnus, the question clear in his eyes. Magnus simply shook his head, obviously just as confused as everyone else.  
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The Silent City had never made Alec particularly comfortable any of the times he had been there. But the lower levels where the prisoners were kept caused Alec's heartrate to speed up. The Silent Brothers had agreed to give Alec 15 minutes to speak with Asmodeus, and Alec knew this was a very generous amount of time.

The only reason Alec could see anything at all was that he had been allowed to bring a witchlight with him. He tried to keep from looking in any of the cells that they passed, knowing he did not want to see whatever happened to be in them. Luckily, before long, they came to a stop, and Alec allowed himself to look in the cell in front of them.

At the sound of their footsteps, or rather just Alec's footsteps, Asmodeus had walked toward the front of the cell. The cell was entirely void of anything, no cot, nothing but bricks and bars. The Silent Brothers had explained that Alec would either have to stay outside the cell or be locked in with Asmodeus. He had chosen to be locked in, knowing that it would show the Brothers just how much he trusted Asmodeus.

Once inside, the Silent Brother retreated, allowing a bit of privacy. Alec immediately turned to Asmodeus. "What's this about? Why me and not Magnus?"

Asmodeus smiled, and for once, his smile didn't make Alec sick. For once, he seemed more human than anything else. "I wanted to ask a favor of you, Alec," was all that Asmodeus said in response. Alec simply nodded, terribly worried about what Magnus's father might ask of him.

"You see, Alec, I'm afraid that there's no way I'm going to get out of this situation alive. The Clave is too scared, not that they don't have every right to be, but I cannot begin fathom a world in which they let me go."

Alec forced himself to stay quiet, knowing that if Magnus was anything like his father, Asmodeus would continue if he simply waited. True to form, Asmodeus took a deep breath and continued. "I need you to make sure of two things for me. I need you to ensure that Magnus doesn't do anything stupid while the Clave is trying to figure out what to do with me. Make sure he doesn't do anything to jeopardize his own standing with the Clave."

When Asmodeus paused for a moment, Alec nodded. He knew that Magnus was highly likely to do something of the sort. In trying to help his father, he was likely to put himself in danger with the Clave. "The second thing I must ask of you is that, no matter what happens, you make sure he's alright. He wants me to be properly in his life so badly, and I'm worried that if something happens to me he will get lost in his grief."

Looking into Asmodeus's eyes, Alec was surprised that he could clearly see that Asmodeus genuinely wanted Magnus to be alright, that he truly cared for his son. "Asmodeus, you should know that I'll do everything in my power to keep Magnus both safe and alright."

Seconds after Alec finished speaking, one of the Brothers returned, indicating that time was up for their visit. Just as Alec was about to exit the cell, Asmodeus said one final thing. "Alec? One final thing before you go. Keep yourself safe, too. Without you, keeping Magnus okay is in vain."


	8. Chapter 8

The Clave had been going in circle for hours, and they hadn't gotten anywhere at all. Alec was beginning to get restless, but he wasn't going to leave Magnus's side under any circumstance. He was certain that if he heard another Clave member give the same reason to not trust Asmodeus even one more time that he was going to scream.

The only reasoning most of them had for wanting Asmodeus dead was that he had been a Greater Demon, but most of them were even on the verge of admitting that if Asmodeus were still a Greater Demon that he would have already attacked everyone.

Alec was holding onto Magnus's hand, and he could feel how tense Magnus had become throughout trial. Just from Magnus's grip on his hand, Alec could tell just how much Magnus cared about getting his father back, but he was worried that the Clave wasn't going to let that happen.

As people started to get up, Alec jerked out of his thoughts, realizing that he hadn't been paying attention to anything that was happening. He quickly figured out that they had decided to further "deliberate" on the matter at hand. By this, Alec was sure that they most likely meant that they were going to further argue over what to do with Asmodeus.

At first, Alec thought he was just going to get up and take a walk, but as he saw his own father leave the room, he decided that he was going to have a talk of his own. For the past few hours, Robert had been gingerly straddling the fence, and Alec couldn't figure out what side he was on. He quickly explained to Magnus that he would be back soon and got up to follow his father.

Robert was clearly surprised when Alec opened the door and followed him into a side room he had snuck into. "Son, what are you doing in here?" was all that he said.

"I've been trying to figure out what your strategy is, Father. You're not taking a clear stance on this matter, and I'm trying to understand your thought process right now." For once, Alec stared his father down, not wavering an inch.

"Listen, Alexander, I have to do my job. And my job is to protect Shadowhunters. I cannot let him go free without worrying that he's going to hurt more people." Robert's voice was cold and hard, but Alec could hear the uncertainty in it, and he knew he had to quickly capitalize on that before it was too late.

"He saved us, Dad; he saved me. I know you don't want to believe it, it goes against everything we've ever know, trust me, I get that. But you have to trust me on this one, he's not what he once was, he's turning away from that."

For a moment, Alec thought his father was going to give, but then Robert answered, his voice growing colder with every syllable. "Then what do you suppose he is, Alexander? What would happen if you let him in your life and he hurt someone? What if he hurt Isabelle, or Jace? What if he hurt Magnus? What would you do then?"

Alec looked his father straight in the eye and kept his voice even as he responded. "I'm not sure what's happening, I'm going to admit that. What I do think is going on is that he's a warlock now. I'm not dumb, Father, I've done some research and everything I've found is that Greater Demons can't go back to being angels, but they can go back to something in between. That's what I think is happening here, and I'm not going to change my mind about it."

"I have to put a stop to this, Alexander. I know you don't understand, but when you have a family you will."

Robert simply looked at Alec for a moment, and it was obvious that he had nothing more to say, so Alec began again before anything could stop him. "Look, Father, if you do anything to Asmodeus, I will never forgive you. I had thought that our relationship was getting better, but I swear that if you hurt him, this will be the last time we ever speak."

When the Clave reconvened, things seemed to be in slow motion for Magnus. He couldn't really register anything that was happening, yet he couldn't make a move to stop any of it. He watched as Robert Lightwood stood up before the Clave saying, "My son seems to think that Asmodeus has become a warlock. For this reason, the Clave has decided that the punishment for his crimes against humanity will be forty lashes with an electrum whip."

Magnus watched as Alec stood up beside him and raised his voice loud enough for the entire room to hear him. "What you're saying is not that you're giving him forty lashes. You're sentencing him to death and you know it. Electrum to warlocks is like silver to werewolves, you have no intention of keeping him alive."

Robert quickly whirred on Alec, demanding that he sit down and remember his place, but Alec did just the opposite. He began walking toward the center of the room where they were keeping Asmodeus strapped to a chair, but Robert quickly ordered Asmodeus's whipping.

All Magnus could do was sit as he watched Alec sprint towards Asmodeus and threw his arm up to protect his face as he placed himself between Asmodeus and the whip that was quickly shooting toward him. Magnus barely registered Alec's cry of pain as the whip wrapped itself around his arm. The silence in the room was deafening as everyone seemed to register what was happening all at once.

The man holding the whip looked to Robert for direction. "Mr. Lightwood, what do you want me to do?"

Robert looked from the man to Alec, then stepped forward, speaking as loud and clear as possible. "If my son is stupid enough to accept this punishment himself, then either he needs to step aside or he had thirty-nine lashes to go."

Magnus's heart dropped as he saw Alec shake his head; he barely heard Alec say, "I'm not stepping away from him, Robert." Magnus shut his eyes as he saw Robert step forward. It was obvious that Robert was going to take over the situation himself, was going to take the whip and beat his own son.

Suddenly, Magnus heard a loud crash, and he knew from the tension he felt in the room that no one had been expecting it to happen. He opened his eyes to see Robert pinned against the wall opposite Alec, the whip laying on the floor between them. It was obvious that most people thought Asmodeus was behind this, but Magnus looked at his father and saw confusion in his eyes as well.

It was then that Magnus realized he had pinned Robert against the wall, he just hadn't been aware that he had used magic at all. Without thinking, he finally got up himself and walked to Robert instead of Alec.

Robert had a sickening smile on his face as Magnus came to stand before him. "Like father like son, right, Bane?"

"Watch your tongue, Robert. I may be like my father, but your son is nothing like you. He's already a thousand times the man you'll ever be."  
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That night, Magnus was immediately comforted when Alec relaxed into his arms. Catarina had met them at the Institute and had helped Magnus heal Alec, and they were finally sitting down to simply relax for the first time in a very long time.

Magnus was still trying to figure out how they had gotten out of the Clave alive. He had simply turned around announcing that he was taking Alec and his father home and that there would be no more discussion. Somehow, this had worked, and it seemed that everyone had wanted to keep away from Magnus at all costs.

"Magnus?" Alec's voice pulled him out of his flashbacks as he turned in Magnus's arms, a question clear in his eyes. "Why did you save me?"

Looking down at Alec, Magnus's heart filled with emotions that he rarely ever had. "For the same reason you were willing to save my father, Alexander. Because I love you."

His heart skipped a beat at the smile that filled Alec's face. "You love me, Magnus?" Magnus couldn't help but laugh. Alec looked so innocent, so young and full of life and joy that he couldn't help but smile as well.

"Of course I do, Alexander. I'd have to be an idiot not to." Magnus was caught off guard as Alec twisted all the way around and reached up to kiss him. As he felt himself melt into the kiss, he couldn't help but think that he had finally found his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi loves! Haley here! I just wanted to say thank you for sticking with me through this story! This is possibly my favorite fic I've written, but it was the most fun to write at the very least! Let me know what you thought of it, I always love to hear from you all! You can all come talk to me any time about anything, with prompts, suggestions, criticism, comments, literally anything!
> 
> Thanks again, and I love you all! xx


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